The word locavore was added to the dictionary in 2006. It means one who attempts to eat only locally grown foods.

As we become more green conscious, even if we have less "green" to spend, nutrition in our own backyard gives us much food for thought concerning our dollars and our health. The options and motivations are plenty.

You can grow your own, take advantage of the farmers’ market in your community or join a community-supported agriculture (CSA). In a CSA, you pay a local farmer for a weekly supply of produce during the harvest season. Your local grocery store most likely has a section for local foods as well. Restaurants are picking up on the practice and some school districts are serving fruits and vegetables harvested nearby.

Here are several reasons to eat foods grown near where you live:

You can taste the difference. Local foods are often newly picked, possibly the morning of your purchase.

You get more for your money. Nutrition is at its peak when food is truly fresh. Local food doesn’t have to travel and be handled as much.

You are in touch with the season. Eating seasonally allows us to consume foods when they taste the best, are in abundance, and least expensive. Many local farmers grow organic produce.

You help your local economy by keeping your purchases close to home. You can broaden your choices to include locally grown chicken, beef, lamb, and pork.

Shopping at a farmers’ market or joining a community garden has social aspects. You have the opportunity to meet and mingle with farmers and other growers.

It is environmentally sound. Eating locally grown foods helps positively affect air quality and decreases pollution because food doesn’t have to be shipped across the country or from another country.